


The man for the job

by Fibi94



Series: Universe Alpha [16]
Category: 24 (TV), Designated Survivor (TV), The West Wing
Genre: Gen, Tom gets Jack back with Jed's help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 18:42:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12870702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fibi94/pseuds/Fibi94
Summary: This is set after “Get out of my way but before “And his heart stopped”. Jed says he knows someone who would get the job done and fast. Crossover between 24xThe West Wing and Designated Survivor





	1. His Name

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt was by an anon in tumblr (hope you don’t mind I changed it a bit)

Jed stood at the door looking at the young man sitting on the desk, he was awake but his eyes weren’t focusing on anything, he was staring mindlessly the wall ahead of him.

“Kiddo?” Jed tried to get the younger man’s attention. He turned his blue eyes were bloodshot he lets the photo frame he was holding on the desk, “Jed!” his voice comes out with difficulty. “You have any news?” it broke Jed’s heart to tell him no but he knew he had to. “They have to find her Jed!” Jed looks at the despair on the younger man’s face.

“I actually used to know a man that could get the job done.” Jed said, he was uncertain why was he mentioning this to Tom, the man for the job hasn’t given any signs of life in over three years, the last of Santos’ mess. Tom’s eyes lighted up when he heard this.

“You tell me this now? Who is it?” it was as if all the restrain he had was gone. Jed smiled, everyone knew the name but no one said it those years. It was his fault; his CIA director had given him bad Intel, Intel which Walken acted on when while he had invoked the 25th. It was one of the biggest regrets in his life.

“We don’t speak of his name, he worked for CTU a long time ago, most knew him as just Jack the Ripper.” Tom looked intrigued, “Jack the Ripper? Why?” Jed chuckled, “Because he was the last think you’d saw before death if he came after you.”

“No, no, no I don’t need a loose cannon Jed.” He was shaken he never had heard of Jack, that was sure, he wouldn’t call him a loose cannon if he had.

“He’s not kiddo, he gets the job done, you just stay out of his way and give him 24 hours tops. There was nothing he couldn’t do.” Jed feels incredibly guilty, it took him years of fighting with the CIA, FBI and Homeland Security directors, years of them telling him to put a stop to Jack’s free reign, something always would stop him. He met Jack once, it was a bit after his reelection, it was right after he came back from China, he was feeling incredibly guilty letting him there for two years, but Jack was nothing but understanding.

“Couldn’t? where is he now?” Tom asks, raising his eyes for one moment he thinks he sees Jack sitting there, never once he realized how much those two look alike, Jack’s hair were lighter than Tom’s and he has many more scars on his body, the top of his hands are badly burned, his eyes are grey and stormy, like a stormy sky, Tom’s are blue and normally calm.

“Well, he gave himself to the Russians, they had someone he loved few years back in London it was it a little over three years, no one knows where he is right now.” Many nights he lays awake on his bed, he thinks of what happened of the man, he was hopeful that he was alive, that he somehow escaped, but his logic was telling him that the brilliant agent was probably dead.

“We need to negotiate his release!” Jed looked at Tom amused.

“You honestly think that Jack needs you to negotiate his release? Really kiddo? The person that will successfully capture and eliminate Jack is not born yet!” this was just wishful thinking he knew that Jack might actually have met his match this time, but then that’s what they said when he was in China for two years, the Chinese didn’t brake him why would the Russians?

“So you think he escaped?” Jed stayed silent for moment thinking about it, did Jack escape? His heart wanted to believe so but his brain, his logical brain told him no.

“Probably, Jack is most likely taking a long deserved time off right now.” In the end he decided that Tom didn’t need to know what Jack was probably going through, he was certain that he wasn’t somewhere in southern Europe sunbathing. If he had indeed escaped wherever they were holding him he would likely still be in Russia.

“We still need to find him!” Jed felt something inside him stir, this was his chance to finally make things right, to finally fix the mess he started by invoking the 25th and endorsing Santos.

“Well kiddo it doesn’t work that way, it’s the other way around, Jack finds you.” He knows Jack, there’s no way he will trust the US government again, the only way he will come back is if the government earns his trust. Hopefully Tom would be able to do that.

“Then how we make him find me, I don’t have the time Jed!” he was getting frustrated, Jed could tell he was and he doesn’t blame him. He knew he had to face his past and his mistakes and he knew he was going to have to ask from Tom to do what he wasn’t strong enough to do and what he asked from Santos and Richmond to do but both denied as well. Hopefully Tom would do it, hopefully this wouldn’t be another dead end.

“Well considering that the US has denounced him and branded him a fugitive from justice with a huge bounty on his head I don’t think he will be appearing any time soon.” Although he had managed to lower the bounty on Jack’s head from ten million dollars to just one since he joined the administration, hopefully that made life a little easier for Jack if he had indeed escaped but it was still high enough to make him a valid target.

“Jed I don’t have time… Alex doesn’t have time.” The desperation on his voice and face was breaking Jed little by little, Tom never was desperate, he was a lot of things since he met him, sometimes uncertain, some scared but never in despair.

“I know. I know, look I’m gonna have the CIA look for him, he’s probably in Russia or one of the nearby countries that don’t have an extradition treaty with the US” Jed looks at Tom, the younger man took a deep breath and nodded “Please Jed find him.” He begged.

“Do I have the green light to get him back no matter what?” Jed was holding his breath this was it, this was the moment he was waiting for, Tom’s answer was going to determine everything.

“Of course you do, anything he wants. He’s innocent right?” Jed smiles letting the breath he was holding.

“He is kiddo, he was just following orders.”

“Then get him back.”

“I will kiddo, don’t worry.”

* * *

 

Jed closed the door behind him and took a deep breath, he finally had done it, the first step to fixing a years old mess. Hopefully Jack was in a forgiving mood as well.

His feet carried him to PEOC as fast as they could, he felt forty again, this was the first time in years his legs felt as light as today. He entered the room and a soldier called “Up!” everyone stood up, there were many people in the room, “Please stay seated!” Jed called and walked straight to Director Mathews, “Director I need you right away” he whispered showing to one of the secure rooms in the back the man stood up and followed him.

“Mr. Vice President what can I do for you?” he asks as soon as the door behind them closed.

“I need you to find me Jack… Bauer. I need you to bring our man back” saying his name felt weird in his lips, it was as if he forgot how to pronounce it, so many years of everyone avoiding this name lead him to almost not knowing if he should use it or not.

“Sir Bauer is a criminal, a fugitive from justice!” Jed looked at him as if he grew a second head, apparently the agency still had a beef with Jack even after all those years, but Jed wasn’t going to take it this time, he wasn’t going to repeat past mistakes. His face became cold as stone, the smile falling.

“He is a hero, this country owes him a great debt and it’s about time we start paying him back!” the man in front of him gulped, Jed realized that his voice almost scared him too, this wasn’t his voice that often these days, he had used this tone a couple of times during his time in the oval but these days he left this tone up to Tom.

“He won’t show himself to us sir.” Jed nodes he had thought about this too.

“Find him, make contact with him and let him know that president Kirkman is planning on pardoning him as soon as his wife is found.” The last part came out of his lips with difficulty the director looked at him with an obvious question in his eyes.

“Sir?” it was as if he couldn’t believe what he was listening.

“You heard me! Bring our man back home!” the director nodded and turned to leave, he was at the door when Jed stopped him again “And director? Tell him Josiah Bartlet gives him his word.”


	2. His pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To fit the narrative some events from 24 are different and of course the presidents of 24 don’t exist in this time line.

Everything was on fire, his chest was killing him, his back was numb, his hands were shaking and his legs could barely hold his weight. He doesn’t know how he managed to escape, maybe it was another of their sick games, letting the door of his cell unlocked, having a hole on the fence, maybe that was another game but for now he was glad to feel the snow under his bare feet, the air hitting his face and the sun kissing his skin for the first time in years. It was nice, really nice. He was hiding in a ditch more than a few feet away from the prison he was being held, it was a black site one that most people didn’t know, he supposes that’s what happens when you try to kill the Russian President, it doesn’t matter what said president was going to do.

He tried standing up a couple times, his instincts were telling him to leave as far away as he could, but his body betrayed him. For the first time he was afraid, he was afraid that the night was going to find him in this ditch and the biting cold would deliver the final blow. If that was the case it would be a nice way to die, it would be at least peaceful, he would just fall asleep and never wake up, no more pain, no more broken bones, no more burns or cuts or shots, it would be peaceful, he would just fall asleep under the starry Russian sky and never wake up again.

He laid there for a few minutes just staring at the black sky above him, the starts flickering it was a beautiful sight, the cold was biting and he couldn’t feel his feet any more, they didn’t gave him shoes they were afraid that he would use the shoe laces as a weapon, it brought a smile on his lip. His eyes were heavy and decided to just fall asleep, what a nice view to be his last.

“Fuck!” a male voice, a familiar one scared him awake, he opened his eyes and for a frightening moment the sky was gone and the face of one of the prison guards was above him “I didn’t risk years of cover to get you out only to have you die Bauer!” Jack was puzzled the man spoke perfect English but he spoke Russian.

“Who are you?” he still wasn’t sure why he asks him, why he doesn’t just smash his skull with the rock his hand is clutching tight.

“Agent Brandt, call me Will.” Jack studies the man in front of him, he looks Russian but sounds American, his dirty blond hair and blue eyes “You can trust me agent Bauer, I was send by the president and I have a message for you President Kirkman is going to issue a full pardon for you after his wife is found, Josiah Bartlet gives you his word.” The last part shocked Jack, his hand flexed around the rock he was holding, Jed Bartlet was probably the only president he met that treated him kindly, he was wondering if the man was truly the one who send this agent to get him. “I need to talk to him, I don’t trust you.” The man smiles and nods, he takes off his coat and gives it to Jack “Put this on Bauer, can you follow me to a safe house?” Jack’s hands are shaking as he reaches for the coat, he just notices that his fingers are turning blue, putting on the coat was one of the best feelings in a while, the warmth of the fur was enough, he felt his blood moving again, “You don’t happen to have any shoes do you?” Jack jokes as he stands up. Brand smiles and turns around, it puzzles Jack who grips the rock tight in the coats pocket, to his shock and surprise the man dug a couple inches and took out a black garbage bag he takes out a pair of sneakers and a beanie as well as a second coat “There Bauer, shoes, the socks are in them and a beanie, put them on and let’s get going, I have to make contact with Command Ops in two hours and arrange the airlift for both of us.” Jack quickly puts on the socks, there’s a burning pain as soon as the fabric touches his injured feet but he ignores it putting on the shoes too, he must admit that standing up with the shoes on was slightly easier for him; he put on the beanie too and nodded to the other man. He still didn’t know if he should trust him and deep down he didn’t really but he seemed familiar, something in his body posture and the way he moved and talked reminded him of home.

The two of them were walking for about an hour through a thick forest until they came across a small almost collapsed cabin there, Jack barely managed to control the snicker he noticed the gun on the other man’s waist, he was ready to grab it and kill him if he was playing him but if one in a million he isn’t lying then he really doesn’t want to jeopardize it. They enter the small space and Brandt, almost blindly, found a trapdoor on the ground opening it and disappearing down the stairs “Follow me Bauer!” Jack was uncertain but found that he had nothing to lose, at this point he had absolutely nothing to lose. He carefully walks down the stairs, there’s a long, dark hallway ahead of him, he wonders where it might be leading and took a couple steps to explore it when Brandt’s voice stopped him “Not yet Bauer, that’s our way out.”

“Where does it lead?” he asks, not moving, “Outside” Brandt turns around Jack notices the metal door behind the stairs, “We are to set the explosives before we leave we don’t have much time.” He says as he unlocks the door, in the small room there’s a satellite phone and a laptop “You know how to set them up don’t you Bauer?” he asks, Jack notices him sending a couple encrypted messages, he wasn’t looking at him the way the other man trusted him not to stab him in the back was almost inspiring.

“I still want to talk to president Bartlet before I help you with anything.” Jack was standing stubbornly next to the stairs not moving closer, Brandt turned around and smiled. The satellite phone beeped twice.

“Answer it.” He tells him, Jack walks fast and takes the phone in his hand “Yes?” he’s uncertain what to say.

“Son? This is Jed!” the familiar voice makes his breath get caught in his throat. “It’s time you come home son, President Kirkman has already pardoned you, you follow Agent Brandt and we’ll get you both home soon.” Jack couldn’t speak, all the emotions were overwhelming him, he didn’t know how to react to what he was hearing it all seemed like a dream “Thank you sir.” He managed to force out the words without letting the tears fall.

“Don’t thank me son, just get back home safe, that’s all the thanks I need.” Jack smiled, he knew that the older man couldn’t see him but he couldn’t stop himself.

“Agent Bauer, Jack, this is president Kirkman.” Jack breathed out, the voice on the other side of the line sounded almost like his own, maybe a little deeper but really similar.

“Yes sir!”

“Get back home safe alright, Jed and I will wait for both of you at the airbase when you two land.” Jack turned and looked at the other man standing there; he had his arms crossed over his chest next to him on the ground a metal briefcase with the laptop waiting to be picked up.

“We will sir.” He terminated the call and gave the phone to Brandt.

“Believe me now?” he asks with a smirk on his lips as he placed the phone in the briefcase as well. Jack returned the smirk with one of his own, “Yeah, you check out. Want help with those explosives?”

The two men set the explosives to go off in half an hour, by then they will already be on board a stealth helicopter on their way to Latvia, they were going to land there for a while and then take a private jet that would transfer them back to the states. Over Germany was the first time Jack slept peacefully in over a decade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack is free and on his way back to the states, next chapter he and Tom meet!


	3. His salvation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set after “How…”

Tom was fidgety, he couldn’t really stand still, he wanted to be back to the hospital as soon as possible, Alex wasn’t alone but he couldn’t stay away for long. Jed had invited two more people on the tarmac with them, Jack’s daughter Kim who also was a probie in Secret Service and Jack’s long time friend Chloe. The two women were silent, mostly, although Chloe couldn’t stop her tears when the jet appeared on the sky.

Tom felt uncomfortable, what should he do in this case? “Just relax kiddo.” Jed whispers to his ear. He looks at the older man, the smile on his face reassured him, he looked almost ten years younger today and Tom just realized how much this was bothering him. The jet landed and taxied close to them stopping just a few feet away. Agent Brandt comes out first, he walks down the few steps fast and gracefully. “Mr. President, Mr. Vice President!” he shakes both their hands and leans towards Tom “He’ll need a hospital don’t let him tell you otherwise.” Tom looks at the other man and nodes. It doesn’t take long for Jack to appear, he had bruises over his face and walks slowly, it seems as if every step is a struggle for him, he looks at the ground trying to make sure where he steps and Tom wonders what happened to him. He finally reaches the ground and looks up, Tom can tell that he doesn’t care about him or Jed, although he saw them both, his eyes linger and focus on the two women right next to them. He takes a couple steps and finds himself hugging them Tom just stares at the scene in front of him. He wonders what the relationship between the three of them is, they look and act like family although he knows only two of them are related. When Jack untangles himself from the two women’s arms he takes another step or two to reach him and Jed, Tom notices he still has his one arm wrapped around his daughter’s shoulders and with his other hand holding Chloe’s hand, “Mr. President, Mr. Vice President.” He doesn’t move to shake either of their hands.

Tom turns to Mike and takes the file from his agent “This is for you Agent; it’s a full presidential pardon erasing all charges against you from your record. You are a free man.” Jack looks at Tom for a while, and then his eyes turn to Jed, there’s a silence so comfortable between the two of them. He still doesn’t make a move to take the file from him, his daughter does though. She opens the file and Tom sees the smile growing slowly on her lips as she reads the lines. He can only imagine how terrible the last years were for her. It was almost a decade that she was known as the terrorist’s daughter, the man who was a disgrace to his country was her father. Tom notices the man in front of him tensing up and he turns back to see what cause this. He sees the paramedics there, there are anxious they want to do their work. “These are paramedics they’ll take you to George Washington to get checked over.” Jack turns to him and looks at him, Tom just now noticed how similar their faces were, even through the bruises. His eyes were gray though, gray and stormy like the sky tonight. He had seen so many things, so many that Tom could only imagine and yet he was still here. That inspired Tom, but also frightened him, why would he still be here? Why would he trust the U.S. government after everything that he went through because of them? Those questions were bothering him like no other but he wasn’t going to ask them, not here in the middle of the tarmac in a military base and not now while the other man was barely standing up.

They would have time for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s it for this fic! Expect Jack to re-appear a lot though. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think.

**Author's Note:**

> It’s not exactly it, but there will probably be more chapters so stay tuned


End file.
